A good Plastic surgeon will design and hide the scars within the confines of your favorite underwear / bathing suit. (Certain limitations DO apply – some of the minimalist, tooth floss like designs which barely cover crucial genital territory will not be able to cover the scar).
The goal of a well executed Tummy Tuck is to flatten the tummy by bringing the separated Rectus muscles together, narrow your waist, remove loose lower tummy skin, discretely lift a sagging pubic mound and even smooth some thigh cellulite. ALL of this can be done with a scar which is STILL hidden by most Victoria’s Secret style underwear.
Yes, it will be visible, but easy to hide. Some scars can be hidden very easily and can heal to be almost a line. This depends on a variety of factors such as skin tone, skin quality, genetics, and skin tension. Usually by one year, most scars are fairly well healed and lightened in color. Patients with darker skin tone typically end up with darker scars. Some scars can even take up to 2 years to lighten.
The location of the scar is low enough that even a darker colored scar will be concealed with regular underwear or swimwear and most importantly the scar can be covered – certain fatty tissue can’t.Abdominoplasty scarring depend on the placement of the original incisions. The designs vary tremedously and depend on surgeon’s experience, preference as well as the patient’s anatomy and existing scars.
I tell patients to bring in a desired garment that they would like to wear after surgery to help guide me in designing the incisions at the time of surgery.
It is important to remember that styles and fashions change. In the 60s we use to use a very low incision . This was because “hip huggers” and tankini boy short type bikinis were popular.
In the 80s, the “French Cut” bikini became popular and the incisions on the thighs became popular so we raised the ends of the scar. Now the “low rider” jeans are popular and the ends of the incisions can be visible.There are usually two scars after a tummy-tuck. One is low across the lower abdomen and the second is around the belly button. All scars are visible to some extent. Ideally they fade to a thin, flat, white line. However, the question is usually is the scar visible when wearing a bikini or underwear. The lower abdominal scar should be placed by the surgeon so that it is not visible in your preferred bikini bottom style. That being said, if the patient has large amounts of excess skin, it can be harder to get this exactly right. For most patients, the scar around the umbilicus is the issue. This scar tends to not heal as well as the other and therefore can be more visible. I use a Quill suture, to reduce the tension on the skin closure, and have been very pleased with my patients’ scar quality.
After reading the answers to your question, I agree and think you have recieved GREAT advice. Yes, you will have scars after a tummy tuck. However, in our quest for perfection as plastic surgeons, we strive to place these scars in positions that you can conceal. It is imperative that you discuss where you would like your scar to be placed with your plastic surgeon. I have my patients wear their bikini bottoms on the day of surgery so that I can “mark” where it is they like to place the sides.Talk to your surgeon, look at his/her photo album before and after tummy tuck…do not rely on the internet only. Make sure you seek out the opinion of a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.
Los Angeles moms tend to be extremely conscious of these incisions. When I perform my Mommy Makeovers, I intentionally keep the scar as low as possible so that my patients can wear their lingerie, bikinis and “hip-hugger” blue jeans.
The real “tip-off” that someone had a tummy tuck is usually the belly button. I believe that many plastic surgeons don’t know what looks good when it comes time to inset the belly button during a tummy tuck. For this reason, I developed a new technique for sewing in the belly button which reduces the amount of visible scar tissue.It tightens the rectus muscles that may be widened (rectus diastasis) as well as bring in the waistline. It removes excess fat and skin laxity to smooth and tighten the abdominal wall.
The scar can be hidden in the bathing suit line, but the size is different for each patient. The location of the scar should be determined by you and the surgeon.
Yes, the trade off of this operation is a change in contour for a scar. Often people that get this operation also have a diastasis recti, (separation of the rectus muscles, your six-pack). This is also usually addressed at the time of the abdominoplasty, Tummy tuck).
The scar is usually a good trade off. There are many different types of swimwear styles now so that most of these scars can be covered up.The final scar placement depends on your anatomy, goals, and what may arise in the O.R> It is important to have reasonable expectations, and discuss these with your plastic surgeon. Also know that this wound by definition is on tension, so you have to take it easy after surgery.
You can not get a tummy tuck without a scar. The scar is at the bikini line and its length depends on the extent of the surgery.
That being said, tummy tuck patients almost universally feel the scar is worth the improved abdominal contour.Patients that undergo abdominoplasty surgery are very satisfied. The reduction/removal of unwanted skin redundancy and stretch marks is rewarding. However, it comes at the price of scars.
Although they are low on the abdomen (bikini line/C-section), it is impossible for them to be absent. Depending on the patent’s anatomy, a shorter mini incision is indicated, or a longer hip to hip is needed.
This would be decided at the first office consult.
Often rectus muscle tightening is done in concert with the skin removal and flank liposuction. This can be done with any length incision. The incisions are closed in multiple layers to reduce tension on skin edge. Then it is up to mother nature to heal.Their are two types of tummy tucks, a full tummy tuck and a mini-abdominoplasty.
The mini abdominoplasty is most appropriate for people who simply have a small amount of excess skin between the bottom of the belly button and the pubis. After a mini-abdominoplasty, one has a scar that crosses the lower belly at approximately the same level of a c-section scar. Although this is of course a visible scar, it is usually hidden underneath a bikini bottom.
For a full tummy tuck, there is also a scar around the belly button. That being said, most people find that from a few feet away this is not a particularly conspicous scar.